GM Salmon?
Recently CCS responded to a call from the on line community called Avaaz, in response to the potential for America’s Food & Drug Authority (FDA) to approve GM Salmon.
This is what we sent on line
Members of our society ethically oppose the genetic manipulation of organic material. Our belief is based on the precautionary principle. Do NOT re write the gene recipe for food for human consumption unless you know the full implications of ….
the effect on human health through generations,
the effect on the environment,
the effect should this escape the controlled environment
The arrogance of humans to dictate how other living organisms should be malleable to us as the master species has the potential for disaster.
We vehemently oppose GM food, and are inaugural supporters of Gene Ethics Network in Australia.
http://fishery.about.com/b/2013/01/09/us-house-intervenes-on-genetically-modified-salmon.htm is the site from which the following has been accessed.
In December the Food and Drug Administration gave their initial approval to the developers of the salmon, clearing the last big hurdle before consumers can purchase the fish. Food safety advocates are launching a last-ditch effort to stop the FDA from approving the fish, which would be the first laboratory-created animal approved as food in America. (Genetic manipulation has been done with soybeans and corn for years.)
Food & Water Watch says at least 30 House members and 14 US Senators have written to the White House expressing their opposition to the addition of GE salmon into the nation’s food supply. The FDA recently signed-off on the environmental safety of genetically engineered salmon, leaving one final approval before a final 60 day countdown to its release into the marketplace.
The effects of interbreeding between wild and AquAdvantage Salmon on a large scale are unknown. They also argue, and correctly so, that America’s fisheries weren’t able to contain Asian Karp, and it’s wiped out other fish populations throughout the country. The carp has invaded every connecting river from the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi to Chicago. Once it passes through the locks in Chicago it will enter the Great Lakes.
Part of the problem is that the FDA doesn’t test or inspect many of the products it approves for human consumption. In fact, thousands of the foods we eat and drink everyday have never been brought before the agency for approval. In most cases, the chemicals and food additives are approved by the corporations themselves. Such is the case for genetically engineered salmon.